Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Back-to-school- if you’re a savvy consumer, then you probably know about these big sale holidays. But have you heard about Prime Day?
Well, Prime Day is Amazon’s 2-day annual sales event. During the sale, Prime subscribers can scoop up huge deals on popular items like Instant Pots and Fire TV Sticks. Therefore, if you want to know how the sale works, then keep reading!
Key Takeaways
What is Prime Day In 2022?
Prime Day is a 48-hour annual sale event on the Amazon website and app. It’s an exclusive sale for Amazon Prime members, giving them deep discounts on categories like TVs, laptops, audio products, and more. Usually, the event is held in mid-July, however, Amazon remains flexible with the dates in response to external factors as of 2022.
If you’d like to know more about Prime Day and what to expect from it, then check out our guide for more useful facts and information!
When is Prime Day?
Prime Day is a bit of a misnomer because when the event was first created in 2015, it only lasted 1 day (hence the name Prime Day). However, nowadays, it’s a 2-day event.
As if that weren’t confusing enough, Amazon has moved the Prime Day dates around several times over the years in response to various world events and the Tokyo Olympics.
However, while no one can predict future Prime Day dates, it’s likely that this event will be held in the summer going forward.
Does Amazon Discount Everything On Prime Day?
While there are many discounts to take advantage of during Prime Day, it’s important to recognize that not everything is on sale during this event.
For example, you probably won’t see competitive discounts on gaming consoles, toys, or cameras on Prime Day.
Rather, look for deals on these items during Black Friday sales and closer to the winter holiday season.
Similarly, don’t expect sales on electronics brands like Google, Samsung, and Apple
that compete with Amazon devices.
Lastly, because Prime Day is held ahead of back-to-school sales, it’s unlikely that you’ll see laptops, tablets, computers, and monitors discounted.
Rather, it’s best to purchase these items later in the summer when other retailers will be competing for these purchases.
Is Prime Day Only for Amazon Prime Members?
Prime Day deals are available exclusively for Amazon Prime members.
Members pay $119 per year and receive many benefits, including expedited shipping and free movies and TV shows through Prime Video.
However, those who are not subscribers will not have access to the deals.
That being said, new users can sign up for a free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime ahead of the sale and then unsubscribe before the 30 days are up.
This allows non-members to benefit from Prime Day deals essentially for free.
What is the Prime Day Return Policy?
Prime Day doesn’t impact Amazon’s return policy, so you’ll still have a full 30 days from the date of purchase to send items back for a refund. However, there are some select items that cannot be returned.
What Can’t Be Returned From the Amazon Prime Day Sale?
While most items are eligible for return on Prime Day, there are a handful of exceptions, including the following:
- Downloadable software products
- Prepaid game cards
- Select jewelry
- Health/Personal care products
- Prime Pantry products
- Indoor plants
- Gift cards
However, note that this list is not exhaustive, so check out the full list of non-returnable items here.
Also, keep in mind that not all purchases come with free returns, so it’s recommended to double-check return policies before purchasing.
Is Prime Day Global?
Prime Day takes place all over the world in countries that offer Prime. All in all, this sale reaches customers in 20 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Does Prime Day Include Amazon Fresh?
Not only do you score some excellent deals on electronics during Prime Day, but the special sale is also an opportunity to scoop up some groceries at a deep discount.
Prime Day sales apply to all of Amazon’s grocery services, including Whole Foods Market, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, and Amazon Go Grocery.
In addition to food discounts, Amazon often runs a “Spend $10, Get $10” promotion around Prime Day.
This allows Prime members to earn up to $50 in credits to use on the Amazon website by shopping in-store at Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, Amazon Go, or Amazon Go Grocery.
Unlike most Prime Day deals that only last 2 days or less, Prime Day grocery deals typically run for a week.
Are There Other Deals During Prime Day?
In addition to the massive deals you can expect from the Prime Day sale, there are other deals to take advantage of during this period.
For example, Amazon regularly offers Lightning Deals. These items are available for a limited time (usually 2 to 6 hours) and have limited stock.
Once the timer ends or the stock is bought up, you’ll have to add yourself to a waitlist.
Usually, these deals are available to all Amazon customers, but during Prime Day, only Prime members have access.
Amazon also offers pre- and post-Prime Day sales, which start a few days before or last a few days after the event.
Why is Prime Day Important?
From the consumer’s perspective, Prime Day is a chance to make their dollars go farther while crossing items off of their wishlist. Indeed, many consumers wait all year for Prime Day deals.
From Amazon’s perspective, Prime Day is important for several reasons, perhaps the most obvious one being that it’s a huge money-making opportunity.
Prime Day is a chance for Amazon to increase its total sales and liven up a usually dormant online shopping period.
In addition to making billions during the sale, Amazon also uses Prime Day as a way to attract new Prime subscribers.
By introducing consumers to all of the benefits of a Prime membership (e.g. Prime Video, Prime Reading, and Kindle Unlimited) during the sale, Amazon hopes to bring new subscribers to its platform.
Similarly, Amazon wants non-Prime customers to sign up for a Prime membership during the summer so that they’ll handle their back-to-school and Christmas shopping through the retailer.
Prime Day is also a “dry run” of sorts for the busy 4th quarter. In other words, the high volume of orders placed during the sale allows Amazon to verify that its operations and systems can handle a huge influx of orders.
Finally, Prime Day is important because it has altered the retail calendar.
Other huge retailers like Target and Walmart have started offering their own sales during Prime Day to take advantage of the buzz.
How Much Does Amazon Make on Prime Day?
During the 2021 Prime Day event, consumers purchased $11.2 billion worth of goods from Amazon.
That was 7.7% from the $10.4 billion worth of goods purchased in 2020.
Consumers purchased $11.2 billion worth of goods on Amazon during Prime Day, up 7.7% from $10.4 billion in 2020.
To learn more, you can also see our posts on Black Friday Amazon, what are Amazon warehouse deals, and does Amazon Prime deliver on Sundays.
Conclusion
Although Prime Day has only been around since 2015, the event has seen massive growth and shows no signs of slowing down.
In fact, the sale is more popular and more lucrative than Black Friday or Cyber Monday for the online retail giant.